


Measure Twice

by ArcticLucie



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff and Smut, M/M, MEBB_16, Pining, Sexual Tension, carpenter!Shepard, writer!Kaidan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 09:20:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7096501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcticLucie/pseuds/ArcticLucie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaidan's grandfather left him an old rundown farmhouse when he died that Kaidan decides to fix up in between novels. He soon realizes he's in over his head, but luckily the hot carpenter in town offers to lend him a hand.</p><p>  <i>Written for the Mass Effect Big Bang 2016</i></p><p>  <i>Artwork by the lovely DalishGrey!</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Measure Twice

**Author's Note:**

> First off, a huge thank you to DalishGrey for being a super awesome partner! The art she did is so adorable! And I think you’ll all love the scene it depicts. And also thanks to Azzy_Darling for organizing everything! She did a wonderful job.
> 
> I actually started two other fics and plotted out another for the event before I settled on this idea. For a while I didn’t think I’d finish it in time, but I managed thanks to some much needed encouragement from CommanderCereith, and Nightmarestudio606 for encouraging me to go AU, totally the right call. Enjoy!

Kaidan could feel the throbbing pain indicative of migraine brewing right behind his eyes as he lay spread eagle on the splintered floorboards. Nothing had gone his way since moving into the old farmhouse his grandfather left him when he died, so the fire—courtesy of an old outlet—he’d just extinguished joined a long list of failures on his part.

And that concluded his sanding for the day.

He used his last bottle of water to douse the flames which meant he’d need to go into town on a run before taking Mrs. Williams up on her offer of a home cooked meal. But first he’d have to get his ass up off the floor. That seemed like an impossibility as he withered in the dust of a decaying house that wanted nothing more than to fall apart around him. He should’ve realized a lost cause when he saw one.

*****

The vast acreage surrounding the house was covered in dead grasses and long-overgrown fields when he pulled his Range Rover into the gravel-paved driveway. Somehow he dodged most of the potholes. Just outside his periphery flickered the ghosts of a childhood spent chasing frogs with the Williams’ sisters in the summers and building snow forts during the long Canadian winters.

Nostalgia brought him back, but the hope for something more in his life drove him forward.

Being a writer was a lonely career choice, so much time locked away with the voices in his head as he hammered away on his laptop. The hours upon hours he’d spent alone building worlds left him more reclusive than he’d thought, until one day he looked up and realized he had no real friends and no one to fill the empty world he’d come back to when he put the stories on hold.

Finding someone in a small town on the outskirts of Vancouver seemed unrealistic, but he opened himself up to the idea. Though at this point, he'd settle for a friend.

The welcome mat his grandmother always lectured him on using was long gone. Perhaps he should've considered that as an omen. The farmhouse itself looked like it belonged to the Addams Family, but he saw all the potential hidden beneath the surface.

Or maybe those were the ghosts of what it used to be.

The pale blue paint on the exterior he remembered from his youth, now weathered and stripped away by time, showed its age. Two of the three porch steps lay broken in pieces—one completely gone—the front door didn’t shut all the way, and the smashed windows in the back needed replacing. Nothing but old tattered sheets kept out the elements and various woodland creatures.

Its insides matched the outside, that same blue paint peeling off the walls, but it fit his current state of mind. He’d written so many books in the last three years that his insides felt a bit haggard too. The move out to the country offered him the opportunity to rejuvenate his mind. What better way to do that than by restoring the dilapidated house to its former glory.

It’d be metaphorical or something like that.

*

The first night, the house almost had him running scared. The kerosene lamp blew itself out at one point, and he spent ten minutes scrambling for the matches. He remembered seeing a hotel in the small town down the road, but he decided to stick it out—mostly because he didn’t want to listen to his mother say “I told you so” in that self-righteous motherly way. He laid blame for the lamp on the drafty house, complete with leaky roof and little to no insulation, and tried to get some sleep.

However, it eluded him.

Shadows cast by the faint moonlight played tricks on his mind, and the demurral house murmured its displeasures as it settled around him. The wind howled outside making the tire swing his father hung from the limb of an old oak tree rap a gloomy tune against the house half the night. The whole experience felt like a scene straight out of one of his books, and he hoped he wouldn’t reach the same horrid end most of his characters did.

He didn’t want to admit it, but his agent was right. He needed a vacation from his imagination. Unsurprisingly, Liara had a knack for being right.

*

Day two found him in better spirits…until the raccoon hissed at him from the windowsill in the kitchen. He managed to shoo the thing away with an old straw broom, but the whole encounter made windows the priority for the day. He grabbed his keys and started out for the hardware store only to discover they were closed on Sundays after the thirty minute drive.

“That’s small town life for you, kid,” his father had said when he called to complain.

But at least he remembered to pick up some bandaids for his blisters at the corner store on his way back.

*

By the end of the first week, things looked grim. The electrician he hired only restored power to the front side of the house before splitting with his money. Kaidan knew the fuse box needed to be replaced and new wiring run throughout, but that encounter made him hesitant to look for another electrician. He made do with faulty outlets and tried to focus on the internal repairs: ripping up carpet here, stripping wallpaper there.

Week two looked promising. A plumber came by and turned on the water, but that led to the discovery of leaks in every bathroom and two places in the kitchen. Wrex, the owner of the hardware store in town, knew him by name after he visited the store three times in one day. Wrex must’ve taken pity on him because he offered to come by after he closed shop and install some of the new pipes he needed.

It was a nice gesture, but the hulking man’s weight snapped a few boards on the stairs. Wrex almost fell into the basement, and Kaidan nearly threw his back out helping him get his legs out of the holes he’d made.

“I’ll send my nephew to fix those,” Wrex told him when Kaidan walked him out to his truck.

Kaidan’s shoulders slumped. “Thanks, but I think I’ll just call the guy who wanted to buy and demolish the place. It’s just too much work.”

“It’s a shame. The house is nice, just needs a lot of love.”

“That’s funny. I thought it needed a can of gasoline and a few matches.”

“Heh, good one.”

*****

“Do you guys know of a good handyman that won’t run off with my money?” Kaidan asked as he snagged another fried chicken leg off the plate in the center of the fully stocked table. Mrs. Williams assured him she made plenty to go around, but he still felt like he was mooching off their kindness. Though he did his best to show his gratitude in exchange for letting him use their indoor plumbing.

“Thank god you finally asked,” Ashley said with an exaggerated eye roll and a soft punch to his bicep. After getting discharged from the Army, she moved back home to help her mother run the farm. They spent the evenings catching up before he’d drag his tired bones back home. “I knew you were stubborn, Alenko, but not _that_ stubborn.”

“It’s nice to know people have such faith in me,” he said, chuckling around a bite of his mac and cheese.

“It’s not about faith, dear,” Mrs. Williams said with a squeeze of his hand. “We’ve just seen how hard you’re working and think you might need a little help from a profession.”

“Don’t worry, K. I know just the man for the job.”

He found Ashley's impish grin less than comforting, but these were desperate times.

*****

When Ashley told him how qualified her carpenter friend was, she failed to mention just how well he filled out his jeans. It was possible that Kaidan’s lack of human contact left him so starved for it that his willingness to overlook flaws intensified to the point that everyone around him ratcheted up several degrees of attractiveness, but the way all three Williams’ sisters were ogling John Shepard as he added another scoop of mashed potatoes to his plate had him rethinking that.

“So Kaidan, Ash tells me you’re fixing up the old Alenko house.”

“That’s right, Shepard. My grandfather left it to me when he died last year.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear about your grandfather. I talked to him in town on occasion,” Shepard said, his brow wrinkling with a frown. “Nice guy.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.”

Kaidan could almost hear ovaries exploding thanks to Shepard’s concerned puppy dog face. He couldn’t blame the girls for drooling onto their plates because Shepard was gorgeous. Tall and muscular with eyes the color of the Canadian skies and hands that knew just how to plug all his leaky pipes. Probably.

“Isn’t that right, Kaidan?” Ashley asked as she kicked him under the table.

He swallowed down his latest bite of corn he’d gnawed off the cob to cover up the fact he might’ve been daydreaming about the handsome carpenter sitting across from him. “What was that?”

Her eyes narrowed, and he had a feeling she’d read his thoughts by the smirk on her face. “About you needing help with repairs.”

“Uh, yeah. I hate to admit it, but I’m in over my head. Any help or tips would be appreciated.”

“I’m available anytime after Tuesday,” Shepard said. “I’ll even give you the friends and family discount.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

Shepard smiled at him, and he might’ve melted. “It’s not a problem. Ash told me about what happened with Kai Leng. That asshole—”

“Language,” Mrs. Williams reprimanded.

“Sorry, ma’am. The _unkind_ person that stole your money give people like me a bad rep.”

“And Shepard’s got a hero complex and thinks he must right the world’s wrongs,” Ash teased.

“That’s the trademark of a good man, dear,” her mother said. “Now John, are you staying for dessert? Ashley would love to tell you all about her time in the service.”

“Mom, I’m sure Shepard doesn’t want to hear about me scrubbing latrines,” she bit out with a smile at Kaidan.

“Nonsense. I’m sure you two have a lot in common.”

Kaidan sighed internally and shoved a spoonful of mashed potatoes in his mouth despite his sudden loss of appetite. It made perfect sense that Mrs. Williams wanted to play matchmaker with Shepard and her daughter, but why did all the good ones have to be straight?

“So, Kaidan?” Shepard asked, bringing focus back to the original topic. “Should I come by on Tuesday?”

And the way Shepard’s expression turned hopeful flooded Kaidan’s chest with warmth. Just his luck, the first crush he’d had in years was on a straight guy who made his knees go wobbly just by smiling at him. If nothing else, he could enjoy the eye candy for a while. “That’s sounds perfect.”

*

Kaidan tossed and turned for hours the night before Shepard said he’d stop by. He blamed his restlessness on the horrible excuse for a mattress he slept on, but in truth, his anxiety got the better of him. He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Shepard, though he’d settle for not looking like a fool. Considering his thumbs had bruises on top of bruises from where he’d smashed them with his hammer, and the cut on his toe from the circular saw blade probably required stitches, that outcome looked doubtful.

Worst of all, he had a feeling his wandering eyes might get him into trouble. But how, pray tell, was he supposed to look away from a hot, sweaty guy bent over a table saw or wedged halfway under a sink grunting as he tightened a nut? For the love of humanity, it was going to be pure torture. And the last thing he needed was to be popping woodies while they handled power tools.

In an attempt to relieve some of the tension already building within him, he slipped his hand down his boxers. His leaking cock stood half erect, but envisioning the way Shepard licked the apple pie crumbs off his spoon the other night had him at full mast in a heartbeat.

His free hand ran under his shirt to tease a nipple as the other started a slow rhythm on his shaft. The pressure eased up and gave way to pleasure as he imagined Shepard’s mouth on him, pillow soft lips moving like velvet down his cock, his skin pimpling with goosebumps when he drew fingers over his collarbone.

It had been too long since he’d jacked off to someone he knew, someone that wasn’t a random guy he’d seen at the deli counter or Chris Pratt. It felt more intense, more real that he knew the way Shepard sounded when he laughed and the muffled mmm’s he let out during dinner. They’d had a conversation about drywall, but the intensity of Shepard’s eyes when they were focused solely on him had him panting out his name in the dark.

Shepard was almost tangible. He could almost smell him—the sweet combination of sawdust and hard work—the faster he pumped his hand. His hips got in on the action the closer he got to his peak, thrusting into the tight circle of his hand. He bit his lip, and the thought of Shepard’s teeth sinking into the soft flesh instead had him soiling his boxers as he came.

“Fuck,” he rasped, the cool evening air making him shiver when a gentle breeze collided with his heated skin. He pulled off his underwear and threw them in a corner as his sated body relaxed. He’d deal with the mess tomorrow because at that point, he had trouble keeping his eyes open.

*

Kaidan slept like a baby that night, so much so that he didn’t hear his alarm going off at 8am. But the pounding at nine had him springing out of bed and scrambling for the front door.

“Hello?” he greeted as he threw open the door, one hand rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Hello,” came Shepard’s cheery response, and he watched in horror as Shepard’s blue eyes trickled down his body.

His. Very. _Naked._ Body.

“Oh fuck.”

“Call me old fashioned but you have to buy me dinner first,” Shepard said with a wink, and Kaidan wanted to crawl under the house and let it bury him. “But I might be willing to make an exception,” he said, eyes once again fluttering down to Kaidan’s ever shrinking dick. The cold morning air was mostly to blame, but his embarrassment didn’t help matters.

He slammed the door so hard it came off its hinges, and then went scrambling for his clothes.

“Don’t worry, I can fix this,” Shepard hollered after him.

But Kaidan was too humiliated to reply.

* 

 *

Kaidan didn’t know how long he hid in the bathroom before Shepard came knocking. “It’s really not that big of a deal, Kaidan,” he said, his voice muffled by the thick oak door. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about…nothing I haven’t seen before…do you want to see me naked…you know, so we’re even?”

Yes, he did, but he couldn’t admit to that. Instead, he decided to open the door and face his humility. “Sorry, Shepard, that was a terrible first impression.”

“Second impression,” Shepard corrected. “And there’s nothing wrong with the human body. Nothing terrible about it.” Shepard looked down at his feet and Kaidan thought he saw his cheeks flush.

“Yeah...”

Shepard cleared his throat and looked down the hall before looking back at him. “Anyway, I took the liberty of doing a walkthrough and drawing up a plan of what needs to be done in order of importance.”

“Thanks, I’m really in over my head here.”

“It’s a big job, but I think we can handle it,” Shepard said as he smiled. “Oh and I brought some donuts if you want to eat while we go over them.”

“That sounds great.”

“And also some coffee. I didn’t know how you take it so I got several.”

“You really didn’t have to do that, Shepard,” Kaidan insisted.

“It was nothing,” he replied, but Kaidan noticed his cheeks pinking again. Kaidan attributed it to embarrassment after seeing him naked. Now the poor guy probably couldn’t look at him without envisioning him in the nude. “I’ll just…been in the living room.”

He watched Shepard walk away then banged his head against the door frame. “Way to be professional, Alenko,” he chided himself.

He took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves before following Shepard into the living room.

*

After Kaidan’s second donut and first cup of coffee, Shepard ran down the list he’d made. Kaidan hadn’t realize how much work the place actually needed until Shepard pointed it all out. “How long do you think everything will take?” Kaidan asked, guzzling down the last of his brew.

“A few months at most. It just depends on how many setbacks we have along the way. But I think getting the electricity up and running is the first step.”

Kaidan sighed. “I don’t suppose you know a reputable electrician?”

Shepard smirked and took a sip of his coffee. “I took the liberty of giving her a call. She said she’d be by soon.”

“Oh.”

“I hope that’s okay. I didn’t mean to step on your toes.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m sure she’s great.”

Shepard’s eyes hardened. “It’s not because she’s a woman, is it? Because Tali’s the best electrician in the province.”

“No, no, of course not. I was just remembering the last guy, but if you say she’s the best then I’ll trust your judgment.”

“She’ll just give you an estimate, and if you don’t like her—”

“I promise, it’s fine.”

“Good because I think she just pulled up.”

*

Kaidan took Tali on a tour of the house after introductions while Shepard got to work on the front door. He said he had to strip, refinish, and then replumb it. Kaidan thanked his lucky stars Shepard came along because he had no idea what that meant. And watching him strip off his overshirt made for a nice bonus.

“Ahem.” Tali cleared her throat from beside him. His eyes snapped to hers and he blushed at getting caught staring. “Shall we check out the fuse box?”

He scratched the back of his neck and looked away in embarrassment. “Sure…right this way.” Tali didn’t say anything else, which he appreciated. He just hoped she didn’t say anything to Shepard either.

She didn’t look like any electrician he’d ever seen. She wore a black and purple suit that she insisted cut down on electrical shock, and she explained that her small frame made it easier for her to crawl into tight spaces, but she seemed to know what she was doing. That was the most important thing.

When they got into the basement and she saw the fuse box, she mumbled something he didn’t understand. “Sorry, I revert to Russian when I’m angry,” she said after giggling at his perplexed expression. “That idiot Kai Leng should’ve changed this out. Your house is a fire trap.”

Kaidan sighed and rubbed his temples. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

“I have another job this afternoon, but I’ll be here first thing in the morning to start changing this out. In the meantime, I’ll send James over to start rewiring some of the outlets.”

“Thank you, Tali. I really appreciate your help.”

“Anytime, Kaidan. A friend of Shepard’s is a friend of mine.”

*

Kaidan ordered pizza for lunch, meat lovers, since his refrigerator consisted of a cooler stocked with beer. Shepard approved. He felt guilty his guest had to sit on a milk carton after the only kitchen chair broke, but at least he’d cleaned off the table the night before.

“Is there anything I can help you with this afternoon?” Kaidan asked between bites.

“There’s a lot of sanding that needs to be done, but I’d rather wait until Tali gets the electricity up and running properly before we use any power tools.”

His shoulders slumped. He wanted to be useful, and there was only so much gawking he could do without being obvious.

“You can help me hang the front door, that’s a two person job, and then we can work on taking down all the shutters. They need to be sanded, painted, and rehung.”

Kaidan nodded and shoved the last bit of crust into his mouth before licking the grease off his fingers. He looked up to find Shepard biting his lip, eyes glossy and focused on his thumb as he pulled it out of his mouth. When he licked his lips, it broke the spell and their eyes met.

So, not straight?

He didn’t know if actual birds started singing outside or if that was all in his head, but he felt giddy and warm and his stomach did this weird little flip flop thing when Shepard started smiling at him. He had to be reading into it—Shepard was just a nice guy—but the possibility existed that the sparks flying between them originated from Shepard’s blue eyes and not the house’s faulty wiring.

The fact that he didn’t smell burning gave him the go ahead to indulge in the illusion…until the booming voice on the porch drew their attention. “Hey Loco? You here, man?”

“Uh yeah, James. We’re in here,” Shepard hollered back.

“Oh man, when Tali said the old Alenko place I thought she was pulling my leg.” James chuckled when he rounded the corner into the kitchen. He held out his hand for Kaidan to shake. “Hey man, how’s it going?”

Kaidan only hesitated for a moment but accepted the handshake. “Better now that I have help. I’m Kaidan.”

James whistled as he looked around. “Damn, this place is even worse off than I thought. Hey, is that meat lovers?”

Kaidan huffed out a laugh. “Help yourself.”

“Then get to work before the place goes up in smoke,” Shepard said, slapping James on the back. He and Tali were the complete opposite. His muscular build had Kaidan feeling like a scrawny lightweight. “Kaidan and I will be outside hanging the door then taking down the shutters. If we’re lucky, we won’t have to replace them all.”

“Roger that, jefe.”

“Come on, Kaidan. We have a lot to do before sundown.”

Kaidan waved to James and happily followed Shepard outside. He didn’t know the first thing about uninstalling shutters, but he could operate the shit out of a ladder. And with the temperature on the rise, he crossed his fingers that at some point Shepard would wiggle out of that tank top of his.

A boy could dream.

*

By five o’clock, Kaidan’s body ached from head to toe. Shepard worked him pretty hard moving ladders and handling shutters, but they got most of them removed. They planned to take the belt sander to them in the morning. It took them a good hour to get the door installed. Shepard probably could have done it quicker by himself, but his patience was appreciated.

“You guys want a beer?” Kaidan asked when they got all their tools put away for the day. James perched himself on the dusty couch, particles disseminating in the air when he flopped down, and Shepard sprawled out on an old rug.

“I’d love one,” Shepard said.

“I’m always up for a beer,” James added.

He walked into the kitchen and grabbed three bottles from his cooler. He’d need to get ice tomorrow, but he planned to go into town anyway. Apparently, he grabbed the wrong nails last time he went to the hardware store.

When he rounded the corner, James and Shepard were talking in hushed whispers. His mother warned him about gossip and small towns, but he hated being the center of it. He made sure to stomp his feet when he entered. He didn’t want to be rude. “A round of beers on the house.”

He passed them out, and they all popped the caps off and took a long drink.

“Good brand,” James said after a long ahh.

“Yeah, thanks Kaidan,” Shepard said. “We should make a toast.”

“A toast? Okay.” Kaidan held up his glass and the two mirrored him. “To old houses and new friends.”

James leaned forward and held his bottle out so they could clink them together. “Here, here!”

Shepard did the same. “Cheers.”

“So…Williams is stopping by?” James asked. Kaidan could tell he was going for casual, but he fell short.

“Yeah, I got a text from her a little while ago. She said she was bringing dinner,” Shepard relayed.

Kaidan hummed in acknowledgement and they settled into a companionable silence as they drank. The long day took a lot out of him. He didn’t know if he’d have the energy to shower. Quite predictably, that thought spiraled out of control quickly until the image of a naked Shepard, sudsy and dripping wet, took over his mind.

“Do you hear that hum?” James asked out of the blue. “Is that just me?”

“Oh James.” Shepard chuckled. “I think you’ve been electrocuted one too many times.”

“Who’s hungry?” Ashley called from the doorway before James could reply. “I think Mama packed the entire contents of the fridge.”

“Hey Ash,” Kaidan waved from his spot on the floor. He didn’t have the energy to stand and greet her properly, but James had already met her at the door.

“What? No hug, Alenko?” she pouted.

“IOU. I’m pretty sure my arms are broken at the moment.”

“You just need to build up some muscle,” Shepard teased. Kaidan gave him a smile but had to look away when he wrapped his lips around the mouth of his beer. When he jacked off later—he’d make sure to put his clothes back on before he fell asleep—but the memory of that moment was sure to have him shooting off in record time.

“I’ll take that for you,” James said, reaching for the picnic basket Ash brought with her.

“I think I can handle it, Vega,” she scoffed, but Kaidan saw they way she batted her lashes at him.

They told Ash about their progress over dinner—her mother had made them individual chicken pot pies—and she told them about her crazy customers at the antique store she worked part-time at. Once they’d finished, Shepard and James said their goodbye’s with the plan to reconvene in the morning. Kaidan made sure to set two alarms just in case.

*

“So?” Ashley pressed when the two of them retired to the couch. She brought a bottle of wine for them to finish off, and he took a sip from his plastic cup as he thought of how to reply.

“Hmm, well we worked hard today. Shepard said it might take a few months to get everything done, but I’m confident we can do it.”

“Mhm,” she hummed, eyeing him as she quaffed the rest of her wine.

“And uh, James is great. Tali is amazing. So, yeah…”

“And?”

“And what?” he asked, his voice raising in pitch.

Ashley sighed, her shoulder pressing back into the couch. “I thought you’d be a good match.”

“Yeah, Shepard’s great too.”

She sat up and turned towards him, her brow crinkling as she eyed him up and down. “What exactly is your deal, Alenko?”

“What? My deal?”

“I used to think you were gay because all the times I threw myself at you, you ran away. Maybe you were just being a stupid boy, but then I try to set you up with the hottest guy I know and all you can say is ‘he’s great?’”

“Set us up? Me and Shepard? I thought your mom was trying to set you up with him.”

“When have my mother and I ever agreed on men?”

Kaidan had to give her that.

“But it doesn’t matter,” she continued, “because Shepard is soooo gay. And you have an amazing ass, so I thought you two would hit it off.”

“How does that make any sense? And for the record, I’m bisexual, but you were always too much like a sister for me to see you as, you know.”

Ashley sat her empty cup on the milk carton he called a coffee table and picked up the bottle of wine, guzzling the last few drops in one go. “Makes perfect sense to me.”

Kaidan sighed and leaned back against the couch. But on the other hand, Shepard did check him out that morning, didn’t he? No, definitely not. It was highly unprofessional, and it wasn't his fault Kaidan was naked. Shepard’s eyes had nowhere else to look. “It’s probably not a good idea to mix business with pleasure.”

“If he’s not your type, just say so.”

“How could he not be? He’s super hot, Ash, but I don’t want him to think I’m taking advantage of his services.”

“Services, huh? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” she snickered.

“I’m serious, Ash.”

“He won’t,” she assured him as she patted him on the head. “Because you’re a good man too.”

Regardless, he thought it best to keep things professional. He couldn’t risk his abysmal relationship skills scaring off the best carpenter in town. With his recent bad luck, he just couldn’t risk it. Maybe when they finished the house and if Shepard was interested, he’d give it more thought. Until then, him and his hand would make do.

Kaidan tilted his head back and sucked down the last of his wine.

“That’s a real shame, Alenko. Especially since I caught him checking out your ass,” she singsonged.

_Shit._

*****

The rest of the week went by in a haze. The priority was getting the electricity up to code, but at every turn, they found frayed wires that needed replacing and rotted boards that they had to pull up, so progress moved at a snail’s pace. Kaidan helped where he could, holding a wire here, screwing a nail there, but in truth, he didn’t do much. At times, he felt more like the waterboy for the football team than anything else.

Shepard had another job elsewhere and sent his business associate to help out in his place for a few days. Kaidan considered it a good thing because he could actually concentrate on getting work done instead of how good Shepard’s ass looked in his jeans. And no offense to Garrus, but tall and lanky didn’t quite do it for him.

Garrus seemed cool though. He only teased Kaidan once about answering the door naked that first morning, which he appreciated, but that meant Shepard had told him. He wondered how long it would take for news to spread around town. Maybe someone would take out an ad in the paper: _new guy in town turns out to be nudist, full story on page six._

Of course, catching Garrus and Tali making out in his bathroom might have had something to do with him keeping his mouth shut. “I was just, uh, helping Tali calibrate this outlet,” Garrus had stuttered. Kaidan sighed and closed the door. At least someone was getting lucky in his house.

Tali apologized for the unprofessionalism and offered to throw in some light fixtures for free, but he deem that unnecessary. Ashley had already procured him a discount at Ken and Gabby’s antique shop for that sort of thing. Instead, she slipped him an IOU when they finished Friday night. He couldn’t believe they rewired the whole house in less than a week.

*****

A knock on the door woke Kaidan on a Saturday morning. For a moment, he thought he’d slept all weekend, but a quick glance at his phone told him otherwise. He got up and grabbed the t-shirt hanging on the back of the couch before moving towards the door.

“Who is it?” he asked, pulling the shirt over his head.

“It’s Shepard. Are you decent?”

Kaidan opened the door to find Shepard smirking at him.

“Yeah, I’m decent.”

“Oh, isn’t that a shame?”

Kaidan shook his head and tried to hold back his amusement, but Shepard made it difficult. He ended up grinning like an idiot despite himself. “Did we have something scheduled for today?”

“No, but…shit, you were asleep, weren’t you? I should’ve called, but surprisingly, I don’t have your number. Anyway, I didn’t mean to wake you. I’ll, uh, I’ll just see you on Monday.”

“Wait, Shepard,” Kaidan called after him when he turned to leave. “I…since you’re already here…and brought coffee.”

“Three sugars,” he smiled, holding up the cup holder. “And donuts.”

They did a walkthrough of the house while they drank their coffee, and Shepard pointed out what needed to be tackled next. He thought they should get the plumbing done before they started tiling the bathrooms and hanging new drywall. Wrex only put in some temporary fixes.

“If you want, we can start on the stairs today,” Shepard suggested when they made it back to the living room. “That way you can start sleeping in an actual bed.”

Kaidan’s brows pinched. He didn’t want Shepard working himself into exhaustion for his sake, though the thought of being able to access the second floor without having to navigate the treacherous deathtrap he called the Stairway to Hell sounded nice.

“But isn’t it your day off?”

“I guess I could go back home and lounge on the couch until I get bored with cartoons and slip into a cereal induced coma.” He laughed and the sound sent warmth blooming Kaidan’s chest. “That was the plan, but since I’m here we can…unless you have plans then I should go.”

“No, no plans, but only if you want to. You’ve already done so much. I’m really not sure how I can repay you.”

“We’re a tight-knit community. It comes with the territory.”

Kaidan drained his coffee cup, and then shook his head at Shepard’s modesty. How was a man like him still single?

“Stairs it is. Any help getting me into bed, I will take.” He cringed at the implication of that, but Shepard had already started for the door. With any luck, he hadn’t caught his Freudian slip.

“It’s a good thing I brought my work truck,” Shepard hollered back. He stopped at the door and turned around just as Kaidan sighed in relief. “And I _have_ seen you naked, so I suppose getting you into bed is the next logical step.”

Kaidan blinked at him a few times as he winked and walked out the door. His heart might’ve spasmed and his mouth felt like he swallowed sawdust, the lump in his throat tightening the longer he stared out the now-empty doorframe.

They were flirting.

Okay, Shepard was flirting; Kaidan was just as clueless as ever and suddenly felt very self-conscious.

Flirting didn’t come naturally to him. Some of his characters were smooth talkers, but that didn’t translate too well off the page. And the hotter the flirtee, the worse he seemed to get. But Shepard hadn’t run away yet. In fact, he came over on his day off to help him out. That meant something. Kaidan didn’t like getting his hopes up though, so he’d play it cool and let Shepard take the lead. If he could manage that.

*

They spent the morning pulling up the old boards on the stairs, and after a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, they planned to start cutting new pieces. That was before Shepard got a phone call and entrusted Kaidan with the task of working the table saw.

“Sorry, that was my plumber friend, Legion,” Shepard said when he joined Kaidan outside. “He said he can start work on Wednesday, if that’s okay with you.”

“I can’t wait to have a shower that doesn’t leak when I spend longer than five minutes in there,” Kaidan replied, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “Okay, I just finished my last cut.”

“Perfect timing. Let’s go get them installed.”

They both grabbed a handful of boards and carried them in the house. Kaidan only ogled Shepard’s ass a little on his the way up the front steps. After piling their haul neatly at the bottom of the staircase, Shepard went and got his nail gun so they didn’t have to hammer them in by hand. Kaidan didn’t think his thumbs could’ve handled that. But when Shepard went to put the first board in place, they discovered Kaidan had cut them all several inches too short. Not only did he waste all those trees, he felt like a complete idiot.

“Oh Spirits, I’m so sorry. I didn’t…”

“It happens to the best of us,” Shepard assured him.

Kaidan frowned and motioned to the wood on the floor. “But all these boards are useless now.”

“Nah, I’m sure we’ll find somewhere to use them, but the more important thing is you learned the golden rule of carpentry: measure twice, cut once.”

Kaidan sighed. “That might’ve come in handy twenty minutes ago.”

“I probably should’ve told you that day one. But not to worry, we’ll just run to the hardware store and get some more.”

“I really don’t want to inconvenience you anymore than I already have.”

Shepard chuckled. “Inconvenience me? I guess this is a good time to tell you that the hardware store is my favorite place in the world.” Shepard put his hand on Kaidan’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “Come on, we can get some ice cream on the way back. It’s getting hot, so it’s the perfect time to take a break.”

“Yeah, it is heating up.”

Kaidan happily followed Shepard out the door. Getting the chance to watch him licking on an ice cream cone just might be worth ruining a small forest’s worth of trees.

*

Shepard drove. He said he knew a faster way into town on some back road. Kaidan didn’t mind. It gave him a chance to enjoy the scenery. The beautiful countryside had small farms branching out in every direction. Some had fields full of crops sprouting from the ground, others housed cattle and various forms of livestock. Everything about it differed from the big city, and he grew more attached to the laid-back atmosphere with every passing day.

Or maybe that had more to do with the people he’d met over the past few weeks. Everyone showed him so much hospitality that it almost made his head spin. He had intended for the farmhouse to act as a retreat for him when he needed a break from writing and the pressures that came along with it, but the more blood, sweat, and tears he put into the house, the harder he knew it would be to leave it behind. Even just temporarily.

And maybe _that_ had more to do with the person sitting to his left.

He chanced a glance in Shepard’s direction. Both of his hands gripped the steering wheel, and his thumbs tapped along to the baseline of the song playing on the radio. Shepard had a strong profile, and Kaidan soon found himself bewitched by the mole on his neck. He wanted to run his tongue over it, suck a bruise to the skin around it, kiss his way up Shepard’s jawline to the lips that were quirking up into a smirk.

Shit, he’d been caught staring.

_Again._

He jerked his head to the right and spent the rest of the trip looking out his window. When they arrived, he jumped out of the truck before it came to a complete stop. “I’ll get the cart,” he said as he shut the door behind him. Could he have been anymore obvious? He reminded himself to play it cool as he pushed the cart inside. Shepard had a hip leaning against the checkout counter as he chatted with the woman behind it—Kelly, her name tag supplied.

“You must be Kaidan,” the woman said, her cheerful mood both lifting his spirits and putting him at ease. “I’m Kelly. We haven’t been properly introduced, but I’ve heard so much about you.”

Kaidan smiled as he shook her hand. “I’m sorry I can’t say the same.”

“It’s understandable. You're the new guy in town. That makes you the hottest topic of discussion.” She leaned over the counter and blocked her lips from Shepard’s view. “Don’t worry, nothing bad.”

“You’ll have to excuse us, Kelly, we have some shopping to do,” Shepard said as he pushed himself away from the counter.

“Certainly, Shepard. I’d offer to help, but I think you know the store better than I do.”

“I wouldn’t doubt that.” He curled a hand around the back of Kaidan’s neck and steered him down the first aisle. “Okay, let’s go get you some wood.”

Kaidan had a good idea where they could find some, but he bit his tongue and prayed that Shepard hadn’t felt the quiver that rippled through his body when skilled fingers ghosted down his back after releasing him. Despite the decreased blood flow to his brain, he found himself replying. “Maybe we should go with something a little harder this time.”

Did his voice always sound that husky?

Shepard stopped the cart in the middle of the nuts and bolts aisle, and their eyes met. “Mhm…wanna screw—grab some screws?” He flushed and pointed to the shelf behind Kaidan. “For the shutters.”

Kaidan nodded and turned around. “Yeah, for the shutters.” He grabbed a box as he smiled to himself. Was there anything Shepard couldn’t make look adorable? “Are these good?”

“No, I think we need something bigger.” He reached around him and pulled a box off the shelf. “These should do,” he said as he looked back at Kaidan, but he hadn’t move out of his personal space.

Kaidan found himself caught up in his gravity, eyes jumping between plump, pink lips that called to him like a Siren and darkening blue eyes that reminded him of an oncoming summer storm, intense but welcomed. Just as his eyes started to slide shut in anticipation of their first kiss, Shepard jerked away when someone called his name.

“Shepard.”

They both straightened up, and Shepard threw the box of screws into the cart. “Wrex.”

“Hey Wrex,” Kaidan added, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans.

“Alenko.”

“Shepard,” Grunt said from behind his uncle. “Alenko.”

“Grunt,” he and Shepard replied in unison.

“Vakarian.”

“Vakarian?” Shepard asked.

“Shepard,” Garrus said from behind them.

Kaidan and Shepard both turned around. “Hey Garrus,” Kaidan said.

“Kaidan,” he replied with a friendly nod. “Shepard.”

“Vakarian.”

“Wrex.”

“Joker,” said a guy hobbling by on crutches.

“Joker,” everyone replied together.

“Every time I come in here, you guys are always crowding the aisles,” he groaned.

“Sorry, Joker,” Shepard said as he moved the cart over as far as he could so the man could get by.

“Thanks. Hey Wrex, Grunt. Can you guys load up some paint for me. EDI wants to repaint the nursery again. Who knew there were so many different shades of yellow?”

“On it,” Grunt said as he disappeared around the corner.

“Shepard, Vakarian, Joker, Alenko,” Wrex said before following Grunt.

“Thanks,” Joker hollered after them. He turned back around, and his eyes landed on Kaidan. “You must be the new guy, Alenko right? I’d shake your hand, but you might break it.”

Kaidan made a face. “He’s got brittle bones,” Shepard clarified.

Garrus snickered. “They’re made of glass.”

“Could be worst, Vakarian. I could be freakishly tall,” Joker bit back. “Anyway, I better go get that paint.”

“Take it easy, Joker.” Shepard said.

“Always do.”

“See you, Moreau.”

“Vakarian.”

Garrus turned his attention back to them once the aisle was clear. “What are you two doing here?”

Kaidan sighed. “I cut the wood for the stairs too short, and we have to get some new planks.”

“Rookie mistake, but it happens to us all from time to time. Measure twice—”

“Cut once, yeah, I learned my lesson.”

“What brings you here, Garrus?” Shepard asked.

“Thought I’d look for a new hammer, and we needed some more wood glue since _someone_ used it all.”

“Don’t look at me!” Shepard said, holding his hands up defensively. "That was all Grunt."

“Uh huh...so, you’re working on the stairs today? I’ll come by and help out.”

“Not necessary. I think we can handle it.”

“I don’t know, Shepard. I think you might need someone to supervise. You still have beer, right Kaidan?”

“Uh, right,” Kaidan answered, scratching the back of his neck.

“Great, it’s settled. I’ll grab some lunch and meet you there,” he said, slapping Shepard on the back on his way by.

Shepard worried his lip. “Sorry about that. Where were we?”

“I think we were heading to the lumber section,” Kaidan said as he started pushing the cart down the aisle.

*****

Kaidan hadn’t realized how much he missed hot water until Legion installed his new water heater. As the summer months approached, he didn’t think he’d need it, but the mornings still got a little nippy. Of course, after spending all day with Shepard, a cold shower was warranted, but tonight he bumped it up to lukewarm as he cleansed his body of the grime and sweat with a soapy washcloth.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back under the spray, fingers slipping down his chest as he thought of blue eyes and Shepard’s toned torso that he’d finally gotten a glimpse of when Shepard took off his shirt earlier that day. A pipe had burst in the kitchen and soaked him to the bone, the tight white fabric of his undershirt outlining every pocket of his abs after he peeled of his work shirt.

Legion had fixed most of the broken pipes and replaced the older ones, but he thanked the rust bucket of a house for the wonderful spank bank worthy image that currently floated through his mind. He imagined running his tongue along the grooves of Shepard’s abs, the salty taste of hard work and man a welcomed appetizer before the main course.

His fingers slipped lower still, palm curling around the base of his dick. He’d dropped the washcloth after wringing out as much lather as he could and began stroking the sensitive flesh of his cock, a small moan echoing off the tile walls. He thumbed the slit, pretending Shepard’s tongue had mopped up the precome collecting at the tip.

He wondered what Shepard tasted like, if his lips were as sweet as they looked, how it would feel to have them pressed against every part of him, to have fingers caressing his neck before curling around the base of his skull like Shepard had done in the hardware store, tilting it back as he marked unblemished skin.

He wondered if Shepard spent time in a cold shower thinking of him, if he went home and touched himself like Kaidan had done every night since they met. What if they’d been doing it at the same time, Shepard across town in his own shower as they thought about each other stripped bare.

They had almost kissed. He hadn’t imagined that. And Ash kept telling him to make a move, but that wasn’t exactly his style. He leaned more towards admiring from afar and weaving romance plot lines into his books to live vicariously through his characters. Hell, did he even remember how to hit on someone?

Maybe Shepard would make the first move: strut in the front door and kiss the breath right out of him. Then they would stumble through the house, elbows banging against the newly installed walls as they shed clothes on the way upstairs. But they wouldn’t make it. They’d run out of patience mid step and make love on the stairs that they built together.

So went his shower fantasies for the next two weeks.

*****

Shepard and Garrus had work out of town after Legion had taken care of the plumbing problems. It lined up perfectly with Kaidan’s book tour, and Ashley had agreed to house sit until he got back. He missed the place while on tour. The big cities he traveled to didn’t appeal to him the way they used to. He felt insignificant in the ocean of faces, and everywhere he looked, he found things that reminded him of Shepard.

The bellboy at the hotel in New York had the same colored eyes. Kaidan had to tip him an extra five bucks after he made things weird by staring at him. In Florida, the driver Liara hired for him had the same build as Shepard. He thought about sleeping with him to get it out of his system, but he just wasn’t Shepard.

And in California, a man at one of his signings had the name John Shepherd. What kind of freaky coincidence was that?

His excitement level on the flight back to Vancouver skyrocketed, but he still had a three-hour drive out to the farmhouse. He thought about spending the night in his condo in the city, but Ash told him the roofers had started and he wanted to see the progress.

And maybe he hoped he’d get to see Shepard.

*

Kaidan steered his Range Rover into the driveway and noticed a difference right away. Someone had transformed the bumpy dirt path into a smooth paved strip that led all the way up to the house. He hadn’t discussed that with Shepard, but he’d put it on his “dream” list of things he wanted to do but could wait. Shepard must have found it.

The first thing he saw when he got out of the car was the happy trail he’d dreamed about running his fingers down as it disappeared into Shepard’s khaki shorts. The swing—that Kaidan had also put on his dream list—sat half hanging beside Shepard while he stood on a stool, shirt hiking up as the drill spit out sawdust from the ceiling of the porch.

His mouth went dry.

“Kaidan?” Ashley shrieked. “You’re home early.” He tore his eyes away from that heavenly sight to look at her as she flew down the steps with a paintbrush in her hand. “I had a hunch you wouldn't stay away.”

They both looked over at Shepard who probably hadn’t heard his arrival over the sound of the roofers hammering above and the drill in his hand.

“Shepard! Look who’s here!” Ash yelled.

Shepard lowered the drill as his eyes landed on Kaidan, a smile breaking across his face that rivaled the sun in brightness and in the way it heated every inch of him. He wanted to run up the porch, throw his arms around him, and kiss him silly, but he didn’t, he couldn’t. His feet refused to move. He was frozen in place by the realization that hit him like the ton of bricks that now lined the walkway—another thing on his dream list come true.

He could lie to himself all he wanted, but Shepard was the reason he didn’t stay in Vancouver. How could he when a smoking hot man with blazing blues eyes had a smile like that waiting for him? When Shepard had had his driveway paved and was in the process of hanging a porch swing with his own two hands?

“Hey Kaidan,” Shepard said, waving with the drill.

They hadn’t even kissed yet, but heaven help him, Kaidan was already in love.

*

After a brief exchange with Shepard, Ashley insisted on showing him everything they’d done while he was away. She had taken the liberty of picking out some furnishings from the antique shop, a nice rug, a few sconces, and had them installed. She took him out back onto the porch she and her sisters had painted the day before—a few spots needed a touch up—and she pointed out the one tile in the kitchen she helped Joker install.

“Oh, and you gotta meet Steve and Robert! They’re adorable,” she said, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him back towards the front porch.

“You must be Kaidan,” said a guy leaning against the rail. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Let me guess…Steve?”

“In the flesh. My husband’s packing up the truck. We’re finished for the day, but we’ll need one more day to rap up the job.”

“No problem. It looks like a lot got done while I was away,” Kaidan said, his eyes flittering over to Shepard who appeared to be testing out the new swing.

“Shepard’s good at keeping people on task.”

“You can say that again,” Ash huffed under her breath.

“What was that, Ashley?” Kaidan teased.

She glowered at him before smiling at Steve. “I was going to ask if you and Robert would mind giving Sarah and me a ride home.”

“Sure, Williams. We have room.”

“Sarah’s here?” Kaidan asked. He hadn’t seen her when they walked through the house.

“She’s cleaning the paint brushes out back. Jack and Miranda might need them when they start painting inside tomorrow,” she explained.

“Jack and Miranda?”

“The painters. Keep up, Alenko. Anyway, just give us five minutes, Steve, ” Ashley said as she disappeared into the house.

Steve took the opportunity to give him some roofing tips. Apparently, the house had a few holes they had to repair before they could slather on the tar and roofing tiles, but they got it done. They only had a small section on the side that needed tiles before the job was complete, but Steve assured him they’d have it done before lunch tomorrow.

“I’m not in a rush, Steve. It already looks a hundred times better than it did when I moved in,” Kaidan said.

Steve nodded, and then leaned into him. “Yeah, but I think Shepard wanted everything finished before you came back.”

“Oh?”

He had a moment of panic in which he convinced himself that Shepard couldn’t wait to move on to another project, but it became painfully obvious that Shepard couldn’t keep his eyes off him. Every time Kaidan looked his direction, Shepard jerked his eyes away.

“We’re ready!” Ash announced as her and Sarah bounced down the porch steps. “Oh, Shepard? Would you mind helping Kaidan with the brushes on the back porch?”

She batted her lashes at him and he chuckled. “Sure, Ash.” He stood up from the swing and met Kaidan at the front door. They waved at the departing truck before meandering into the house.

“You know, I could probably handle things if you wanted to head home. You’ve already done so much,” Kaidan said. He watched Shepard smile out of the corner of his eye.

“I don’t mind.”

“Well I appreciate it….and I know I’ve thanked you before, but the swing and the driveway…how did you know?”

They stopped for a moment in the hallway, and Kaidan held back his smile as Shepard’s cheeks flushed. “I might’ve found your ‘dream list’ in the kitchen, and just thought I’d help out.”

“That’s it?”

Shepard took a hesitant step towards him and hung his head. “No…”

When he looked back up, Kaidan’s breath caught in his throat. He only had a second to process the fact that Shepard was going to kiss him before lips pressed against his, every bit as soft as he imagined them. He surged forward, arms looping around Shepard’s neck as he anchored their bodies together, mouth opening to pull Shepard in deeper.

He felt his back hit the wall, and his fingers burrowed under Shepard’s shirt, hot skin undulating beneath his fingertips. Hands started pawing at his ass and teeth scraped along the skin of his neck. His body tingled everywhere Shepard touched him, and he decided they had too many clothes on.

Just as he opened his mouth to suggest they move things somewhere more comfortable, Kaidan’s phone rang. “Shit!” he hissed, digging his phone out of his pocket and checking the number. “Sorry, it’s my agent. She’ll just keep calling if I don’t answer.”

“It's fine,” Shepard panted against his ear.

“Hey Liara,” he answered, hoping to get the call over with as quickly as possible.

“Kaidan, I have good news.”

Shepard nuzzling along his jawline proved to more distracting than he realized.

“Kaidan?”

“Sorry, good news? That’s…good.”

“Your publisher made an offer for a three-book deal. I’m going over the contract now.”

“Three books? Yes, that is good news.” But what wasn’t good was Shepard pulling away from him. He made a face, but contained his whimper.

“Would you like to go over it now?”

“Uh, no, no, I’m a little busy right now, Liara,” he told her as he watched Shepard walk over to the back door. He stuck his head out and laughed as he shook his head. Kaidan followed him over as Liara went on and on about the contract. But when he saw what awaited them, he told her he’d have to call her back, and promptly ended the call.

“They made us dinner?” he asked Shepard as he slipped his phone back in his pocket.

“Not just dinner, a candlelit dinner,” Shepard clarified, stepping out onto the porch before turning and holding his hand out to Kaidan.

He snickered as Shepard twined their fingers together. “Wow, this has Ashley Williams written all over it.”

“I hate to do this because you’re incredibly hot and I’d love to make out with you some more,” he said as he reached for Kaidan’s hips and pulled them flush against his, “but I’m kind of starving.” As if on cue, Shepard’s stomach rumbled to illustrate his point.

Kaidan gave him a peck on the lips. “I could eat.” Just so long as it led to dessert.

*

The fireflies blinking in the distance and the hum of cicadas singing in the treetops made for a perfect first date. They watched the sunset as they scarfed down fried chicken and scalloped potatoes. If Mrs. Williams didn’t stop feeding him, he’d soon need a new wardrobe, but he wouldn’t complain. In fact, he had to give it to Ashley; she knew how to plan a romantic dinner.

“So…” Shepard started once they’d cleaned their plates.

Kaidan smiled behind his wineglass before taking a sip. His cheeks ached from smiling so much, but he’d suffer through it. “So?”

“I have a confession to make.”

He cleared his throat at sat down his glass. “Should I be worried?”

Shepard huffed out a laugh. “No, and I hope this doesn’t sound crazy, but after we met, Ash told me your penname and I bought all your books and read them the first week,” he spit out in one breath.

“You read my books?”

“I’m, uh, not really much of a reader, but I couldn’t put them down.”

“Wow, I’m happy you liked them. I just got a contract offer for three more, in case you didn’t hear me on the phone.”

“Yes, I did. Congratulations, Mr. K.A. Spectre. I look forward to reading them.”

“I look forward to writing them. Now that the house is almost finished, I’m supposed to go back to Vancouver and get started.”

Shepard worried his lip as he looked away. “Yeah, that’s what Ash said.”

“But I don’t know, I’m thinking of sticking around for a while,” Kaidan said, smiling again when Shepard looked back at him.

“It’s a pretty nice town, if you can handle the nosy neighbors that like to plan dates for you.”

They shared an easy laugh, and Kaidan wished on the star shooting across the sky that they’d get to share a few more before the night was over.

“You know…my mother told me this place used to be an orchard a few generations ago. I’ve been thinking about planting some fruit trees, maybe getting a few chickens, but I’m gonna need a barn and some help repairing fences. You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who could help with that, do you?”

Shepard smirked at him before he stood up. He walked over to the railing and leaned against it, staring out into the darkened fields. “I might know a guy. Looks like a big job though.”

Kaidan finished his wine and joined him, resting his forearms on the railing and pressing his shoulder into Shepard’s. “If you aren’t up for it—”

“Oh, I’m up for it.”

They stood there for a few moments enjoying the silence. The moon sat low on the horizon, and the cool breeze felt amazing against Kaidan’s warm cheeks. It felt like years since he’d had a proper date, but the company made the wait worthwhile.

“Shepard?”

“Yeah, Kaidan.”

“You still owe me.”

Shepard turned toward him, the right side of his face illuminated by the porch light. His curious grin had Kaidan chuckling. “Owe you? How so?”

Kaidan bit his lip. Dinner had been wonderful, their conversation, although a little awkward at first, had flowed smoothly, and he drank just enough wine that his lowered inhibitions had raised his confidence a few pegs. “Well…I still haven’t seen you naked.”

That dissolved them both into a fit of laughter, but once they’d caught their breath, Shepard leaned over and kissed him, sweet and gentle, and Kaidan almost burst at the seams with happiness. “We should probably fix that.”

“Definitely.”

Kaidan hooked his finger through one of Shepard’s belt loops and led him into the house, but the kisses on his neck had him almost veering into a wall. Shepard corrected their trajectory as he spun him around and cupped his cheeks before smashing their lips together in a flurry of hot and heavy kisses.

He fisted Shepard’s shirt to keep from floating away. His head was swimming, and he couldn’t tell whether to blame the wine or Shepard’s lips for the dreamlike haze he’d fallen into.

Their shirts found their way to the floor, and Kaidan kicked off his shoes when they made it to the living room.

Shepard pulled back, his tongue tracing his bottom lip as he caught his breath. “You sure? I’m okay with taking it slow if you want.”

No, Kaidan didn’t want.

“I’m sure.” He nodded and Shepard smiled before kissing him once more.

Kaidan pulled him towards the couch. The bed seemed too far away in his lascivious, testosterone-riddled brain. He turned them around and gently pushed Shepard down onto the couch. The worn out springs kept him from rebounded, but at least a cloud of dust didn’t billow into the air. Not that either would have cared.

He dropped to his knees and went to work on Shepard’s belt, but then Shepard leaned forward to capture his lips. His fingers fumbled for a minute before he gave up with a resounding grunt.

“I got it,” Shepard whispered on his lips.

Kaidan let his hands fall down Shepard’s thighs, the meaty muscles flexing under his palms. Once Shepard had things loosened up, Kaidan sobered up a little. He hoped he didn’t embarrass himself, but he’d thought about sucking Shepard off too many times over the last two months to let the opportunity pass him by. He didn’t even care about Shepard returning the favor at that point, his brain so flooded with lust and his body consumed with want.

“It’s been awhile, just in case I fuck it up,” Kaidan said, leaning back just a tad before looking up at Shepard.

Shepard took his hands and squeezed them. “We don’t have to.”

His reassuring smile made Kaidan’s insides melt. How did he get so lucky? Shepard was pretty amazing.

“No Shepard, I want to, want you.”

“Want you too.”

Hearing that settled his nerves a smidgen.

“Come here,” Shepard said, tugging on his wrists. Kaidan let himself be pulled up until his knees framed Shepard’s thighs on the couch. “Maybe we should try something else.”

He kissed Kaidan’s collarbone and ran his hands up his back. Kaidan shuttered and rolled his hips, moaning when the friction drove a spike of heat straight up his cock into the pit of his stomach. His whole body was on fire, every inch of him burning like a wildfire for the man underneath him. Shepard drug teeth over his skin and Kaidan rocked against him, chasing the feeling lighting up his insides like the fireflies outside.

“This okay?” Shepard whispered in his ear.

“Perfect,” he replied. He ran his nails over Shepard’s scalp and turned his head just right so he could attack his already kiss-swollen lips.

Shepard’s hands trickled down his spine, fingers sliding into his back pockets to knead his ass. He could still taste the acerbic wine on Shepard’s tongue as it surged against his, and he lost himself in the feel of their bodies moving together as they kissed. He didn’t register Shepard had unbuttoned his jeans until a hand slipped down the front of them.

He broke the kiss to gasp against Shepard’s lips when he squeezed him through his boxers. He thought it fair to return the favor and plunged his hand into Shepard’s pants. They had themselves a sexy arms race after that. Everything he did Shepard countered until they were both a sweaty mess of carnal bliss, callous-covered fingers curling around his cock and lips dancing on his skin.

Kaidan sped up, matching Shepard stroke for stroke until the pressure was too much for him to bear. “Shit…gonna,” he managed, but Shepard beat him to it, spilling out into Kaidan’s hand as he buried his face into his neck. A few pumps of Shepard’s hand and Kaidan followed, white ribbons of come jetting up their stomachs. They sat there embracing for a moment, Kaidan relishing the sweet released that had built up since they'd met.

“Finally,” Shepard said with a satisfied sigh.

Kaidan nosed along his stubble-dusted jaw to his lips, and they shared a few lazy kisses. “You wanna take a shower?” he asked as his fingers traced shapes on Shepard’s shoulder.

“That’s sounds kind of amazing…but if we wait like twenty minutes, I could go again.”

“I think I can handle that.”

But twenty minutes later, they’d both fallen asleep snuggled up on that old dusty couch.

*

The next morning, they woke up to banging on the front door. “Shit!” Shepard cursed as he sprung up from the couch. He scrambled to find his shirt, but Kaidan didn’t remember where he’d tossed it. “She’s gonna break the door down.”

“She wouldn’t be the first,” Kaidan chuckled.

“My truck’s still outside. They’re gonna know I spent the night.”

Kaidan wrinkled his brow as he got up to help locate clothing. He had a moment of panic that Shepard had regrets.

“Jack has a big mouth. It’ll be all over town in an hour.”

His moment of panic stretched into a minute. “Did you not want anyone to know?” Because Kaidan wanted to shout it from the rooftops. Shepard stopped his frantic search as the corner of his mouth quirked up into a bright grin, and Kaidan couldn’t help but throw both arms over his shoulders and kiss him until they both couldn’t breathe.

“Eww, get a room!”

“Jack,” Miranda chided. “Though you two might want to come up for air once in awhile.”

“Seriously, Shepard. Stop sucking face with your new boy toy and help me with the paint…hello?”

“I think we might have to paint around them.”

“Morning guys and gals...and people kissing,” Kaidan heard Steve say, but he had more important things to worry about, specifically, that thing Shepard kept doing with his tongue. How did he do that?

“Someone help me open the windows,” Jack said before she made a few gagging noises. “It smells like sex in here.”

They ignored her and continued to kiss like their lives depended on it until a loud shriek emanated from near the back door a few minutes later.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” Miranda mewled as she came running back into the living room. “Ra-rah!”

“Rat?” Shepard asked, hands still firmly placed on Kaidan’s ass.

She shook her head.

“Probably just Blasto, my ‘pet’ feral raccoon,” Kaidan shrugged.

Miranda nodded emphatically.

“You have a pet raccoon?” Jack asked.

“Used to live in the kitchen. I chased him off a few times, but I can’t really blame him for wanting to stay. This place looks amazing.”

“It does,” Shepard agreed.

“Couldn’t have done it without you.”

Jack groaned and rolled her eyes. “If you’re gonna start another game of tonsil hockey, can you at least bring in the paint first?”

Shepard smirked. “Sure, Jack. We might even help you paint.” They started out the door and Shepard leaned over to whisper in Kaidan’s ear, “Although, I could still use that shower.”

 

**—»·›EPILOGUE‹·«—**

“How did I let you talk me into pink paint?” Kaidan sighed, dipping his brush into the paint bucket.

Shepard wiped his forehead with the back of his hand leaving a smudge of paint on his brow. “I thought you liked pink?”

“But a whole room?”

Shepard dropped his brush and made his way across the room to him. “This isn’t about the paint, is it?” he asked, draping his arms over Kaidan’s shoulders.

Kaidan deflated against him as he let Shepard’s proximity calm him. “No,” he admitted.

The last two years had been insane. He wrote his three books plus two more he had contracted, they planted a hundred apple trees, the barn went up without a hitch, and they bought a few cows to go along with the chickens he’d wanted. Shepard had even put in a vegetable garden out back. Blasto the raccoon became a mommy and had a litter of cubs in the attic, and they got married in the middle of their new orchard in a sea of apple blossoms.

But the most important development was the baby girl they were set to adopt. Kaidan tried not to get his hopes up just yet, despite Shepard’s enthusiasm, because things weren’t set in stone. The baby had a few more weeks before she was due, and the possibility that the birthmother would change her mind loomed over him like his own person raincloud.

They had spent the last month stocking up on diapers, clothes, and toys. They had a name picked out and ready to go. Both of their mothers had their bags packed and the cars gassed up to head out on a moment’s notice. He felt ready—as ready as a new parent could be—but the anticipation had his skin crawling. Every time the phone rang, he’d startle.

Shepard did his best to keep them both busy. They moved the tire swing so it no longer hit the house, they did some much needed landscaping in the front yard, and a few days ago, they started getting the nursery ready. During the renovation, they didn’t do much to the upstairs except what needed it, which meant they had to patch a few holes and Shepard tore out and rebuilt the closet, but all that was left was the paint.

“Did you want to go pick out another color?” Shepard asked.

Kaidan had thought about going with yellow or green paint to stay gender neutral just in case, but he did like pink. “It’s fine,” he replied as he nuzzled into the crease of Shepard’s neck. He smelled so good, like home, and Kaidan wanted to stay like that forever, but that thought faded away when his eyes landed on the dirty floor. “I think we should put in carpet. It’ll be easier on her knees when she starts crawling. And I can never keep this floor clean.”

He tried to pull away so he could go grab the mop and bucket, but Shepard held him tight. “Babe, you’re nesting again.”

Kaidan scoffed, but before he could reply, his phone rang on the dresser Shepard built last week. Kaidan wasn’t the only one who had been nesting. He pulled a face when he didn’t recognize the number but slid his finger over the glass to answer it. “Hello…yes, this is Kaidan…uh huh…yeah, okay…yes, we’ll be right there.”

“Who was that?” Shepard asked as he ended the call.

“The hospital…we’re having a baby!”

Shepard picked him up and spun him around before planting kisses all over his face. “We’re having a baby?”

“We’re having a baby!” Kaidan nodded, but soon the realization set in and he paled. “Oh my god, we’re having a baby. We haven’t finished painting yet!”

“You grab the diaper bag, I’ll strap in the carseat, and Miranda and Jack can finish painting.”

“I gotta call my mom.”

“We can do that from the car,” Shepard said as he led them to the door.

Kaidan found his hand and squeezed. “We can do this, right? Be dads?”

Shepard kissed him again, all his worries dissolving away as they molded together. Shepard had a way of keeping him calm when he thought the world was falling apart. It was one of the reasons they fit together so well.

He pressed his forehead to Shepard’s, and they stood there for a moment breathing each other in.

“Yeah, we can.”

*

Two days later, Kaidan pulled their Range Rover into the driveway and ran right into a brick wall of nostalgia, but where four crumbling walls and a leaky roof used to sit now stood a home. Instead of seeing the ghosts of his past running through barren fields, he saw a future in which Baby Jane chased frogs with her siblings through the maple saplings they’d planted last year along the driveway. And the life that had once yearned for solitude now craved family time and pizza night with an amazing group of friends.

He’d yell at them later for parking their cars on his grass.

“Looks like they decided to throw a welcome home party for her,” Shepard said as they got out of the car.

Kaidan unbuckled a sleeping Jane and nuzzled her to his chest. “You go ahead. We’ll be in in a minute.”

Shepard gave him a fond smile, and then kissed them both on the forehead.

Jane made an adorable baby noise, and he instinctively started to bounce her. “Do you see this house? Our house? We didn’t know it at the time, but we fixed it up for you. It’s where your Papa and I fell in love, where we had our first kiss, where we were when we found out you were on your way. And it’s been in our family for generations.

“It didn’t look like much a few years ago, but now I can’t imagine living anywhere else. When you get older, we’ll probably drink a few beers on the deck out back, you’ll yell at us when we make you pick apples instead of letting you hang out with your friends, and you might even get married in the orchard like Papa and me did. He’ll teach you to measure twice, cut once, and I’ll probably correct your grammar way too much, but for now…all you need to know is that we love you.

“Oh…and that the sound in the attic is just a raccoon, not a ghost. No matter what your uncle Grunt says.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Link to artwork.](http://dalishgrey.deviantart.com/art/Measure-Twice-Mass-Effect-Big-Bang-art-613491682?ga_submit_new=10%253A1465167583)


End file.
